Prime Minister...

This weekend my hagwon is hosting a small debate workshop for all of the students. On Friday, we are teaching about debate and on Saturday and Sunday we are hosting a small tournament. As part of the workshop on Friday the teachers are doing a demonstration debate.

I am going to be Prime Minister.

Those of you who have known me as a debater will understand why I am so thrilled. For the rest of you... Let me see if I can explain.

In Parliamentary debate there are two teams with two people on each team. The members of each team have specific titles and speak in a particular order. Debaters often take great pride in their position because they have to develop specific skills and abilities in order to fulfill their role and support their partner. On the government team (or the pro team) there is the Prime Minister and the Member of Government. On the opposition team (or the con team) there is the Leader of Opposition and the Member of Opposition.

I was always Prime Minister. The Prime Minister is the first person to speak. They develop a case in support of the resolution and it is their job to set the parameters for the debate by offering definitions and a criteria for weighing the arguments in the round. If the Prime Minister fails to establish a prima facie case (a complete and defensible case) then the debate round is already lost. The Prime Minister is the first impression and must be eloquent, believable and thorough. In addition to being the first speaker, the Prime Minister is also the last speaker in the debate. They give the final rebuttal, having the responsibility of summarizing the entire debate and selling the government case. They are the government team's last hope.

I have always been Prime Minister.

But, just so I don't sound so arrogant... Let me explain the real reason why I have always been PM. It's because I am barely a mediocre Member of Government. After the Prime Minister sets up the case the Leader of Opposition spends eight minutes tearing it shreds. The LO will offer counter plans, critiques, disadvantages, procedural arguments and counter definitions... Pretty much anything they can think of to punch holes in the government advocacy. And once the brutal Leader of Opposition sits down it is the job of the Member of Government to repair the damage. They don't have fifteen minutes of prep time (like the Prime Minister has) to set up their defense. They have to be ready to respond immediately, impulsively and strategically. They must respond to every opposition argument and in some cases, develop entirely new arguments in order to attack the opposition case. I've seen MG's stand at the podium and run entire arguments with only three words worth of notes. They don't have time to be eloquent, they are too busy plugging the holes in the government case. They have to be vicious and efficient... A really good MG is hard to find, but I've been unbelievably lucky.

Just a quick shout out to all my MGs. I've had three different partners and each has been smart, strategic and bad ass! A PM is nothing without her MGs!

So, like I said... I'm thrilled to step back into my PM shoes. I loved debate. I still love debate. I was captain of my team (Capt'n Jack) and I watched the team grow from four debaters and a whining, apathetic coach, to 20 debaters and a zealous, do-anything-for-the-team coach. I know what debate can do for a person. It took me around the world. It made me a more socially responsible person. It challenged me, even in an arena I thought I'd already mastered. And most of all... It gave me confidence and independence.

I'm teaching debate now. And tomorrow I'm going to show all my kids how I used to debate. I was practicing earlier today and I felt that old feeling. I remembered how I'd step up to the podium, roll up my sleeves, wipe the smile off my face, grasp the edge of the podium, take a calming breath, make brief eye contact with the judge and begin to speak. But, tonight I had to pause before I began because I wanted to smile. It felt good to be behind the podium. It felt good to be PM.